Despite unseasonably mild temperatures, cloudy skies and a brief rain shower, organizers of Roseville’s inaugural Gratiot Cruise on Sunday declared the event a success and promised a smoother ride in years to come.

Cruise directors said they had expected about 300 classic car owners to register for the event, and ended up with 270. Over the course of the six-hour event, they estimated 5,000 to 7,000 people turned out to watch the procession of vintage vehicles or take part in a number of customer appreciation parties held at various businesses along Gratiot Avenue.

Temperatures in the mid 60-degree range and the threat of rain for most of the day likely kept some cruisers home, said Bill Shoemaker, a member of the non-profit Roseville Heritage Committee, which arranged the event.

“Frankly, I’m glad it wasn’t over-attended for first year,” said Shoemaker, who is also a member of the Roseville City Council.

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“The businesses seem to be doing pretty good and there are a lot of people from the neighborhoods out walking along Gratiot, which many of them may not have done in years, so I think we’re seeing a real community feel out here today.”

For the first time out, the cruise was on a modified route of Gratiot between 11 Mile and 13 Mile roads, in part due to ongoing road construction on Interstate 94 and Gratiot, but committee members say the cruise may run along the city’s borders, from 10 Mile to 14 Mile roads, in the next few years.

Class car aficionados were in seventh heaven checking out the hot rods, muscle cars and other wheeled contraptions taking part in the cruise. Most of the vehicles are owned by baby boomers who cruised Gratiot in their teens and now can afford to spruce up their wheels in adulthood.

“You look around here and you see a lot of white hair,” said Walt Rush, 60, of New Baltimore.

Rush and his 34-year-old son, Adam, a Wayne County Sheriff’s deputy, brought out a 1971 Corvette and a 1969 Chevy Nova they restored at home. The father-and-son team have a building on their property equipped with a hoist and power tools to work on old cars.

“For him and I, we spend time together and get away from the hustle of work and work on the cars,” Walt Rush said. “Then we bring the cars out there to show off the labor and toil we put in.”

Ken Anderson of Eastpointe could relate.

Anderson, 59, a retired mechanic, recalled working on Road Runners, Camaros, and other top vehicles of the day that were common sites in cruising times in the 1970s.

“I love watching these cars,” Anderson said, sitting outside of a tent by Apollo Lanes. “We used to love going up and down Gratiot, looking at cars and trying to meet girls. It’s about time Roseville has its own cruise.”

Even one of the main sponsors of the event had memories about cruising Gratiot in Roseville in the 1970s. Marty Lewicki of Highway Auto Parts, said the cruise revived the past for him.

“As a kid who grew up in this neighborhood as an eastsider in my ‘68 GTO, I always knew this was a hot spot for cruising,” Lewicki said.

For years, Roseville city officials were reluctant to approve a sanctioned cruise. That’s primarily because the community had a lengthy fight against cruisers who jammed Gratiot Avenue in the 1980s and 1990s, often erupting in disruptive behavior that spilled over into in residential neighborhoods.

Car cruises of today are primarily family-oriented, so the City Council agreed to let Roseville Heritage Committee put one on. The committee put $25,000 in an escrow account to pay for public safety costs associated with the event.

“I know there are a lot of classic car enthusiasts that live in the city of Roseville and they’ve been waiting to cruise in Roseville for a long time,” said Mayor John Chirkun. “Well I’ve got news for you -- today’s the day it’s going to happen.”

Roseville Police Chief James Berlin said there were no serious problems in Sunday’s cruise. He said officers issues about 30 tickets, mostly for improper lane use, and there were between 10 and 15 crashes. No one was seriously hurt.

“It was mostly people rubber necking, checking out the cars and tapping the car in front of them,” Berlin said. “Those all took place in the cruising lane.”

Although a community funfest was the goal of the cruise, many businesses took advantage of the crowds and offered sidewalk sales or specials.

At Detroit Pizza, officials said their receipts were up 50 percent over a typical Sunday afternoon.

“I’m really impressed,” said Linda Michaels, who runs the pizza shop with her son Shawn Randazzo. “Next year we might have some entertainment and a charity booth out there. We definitely are in favor of it.”

Gerard Iezzi, owner of Izzy’s Bar & Grill and Apollo Lanes, erected a tent to throw a customer appreciation party with a live band and barbecued food. Even though the weather wasn’t perfect, Iezzi said everyone who came out had a good time, and that was his mission.

“The cruise has been excellent. We’ve heard nothing but good things from people coming in. Everyone is having a blast,” he said.